On a night when the US national team defense played extremely well in the first half, and the attack produced little for much of the night, it is no surprise that the top performers for the United States in its 1-0 loss to France were on the defensive side of the ball.

Tim Howard was the star for the Americans yet again, making a handful of outstanding saves, including a jaw-dropping stop on a Karim Benzema free kick. It was one of the few bright spots for an American team that just couldn’t generate much offense and ultimately got overwhelmed in the second half.

There were few truly encouraging performances, but there was plenty for Klinsmann to chew on as he tries to figure out which players deserve to keep getting starts, and which ones he needs to think about replacing in his pecking order.

Here are the US national team player grades against France:

Made some amazing saves and pressured France into some bad shots from good positions, but couldn’t really do anything to stop the game-winning goal.

Best defender on the night, he helped keep Franck Ribery under wraps, and also got forward. Provided tireless energy and forced France to look elsewhere for chances.

Was on his way to a very good game before he fell victim to Loic Remy’s game-winning goal - unfortunate because it overshadows what was actually a steady performance.

Cleaned up a plethora of attacking threats and helped keep Benzema contained, though he wasn’t as steady in the second half.

His speed and energy continue to make him the best left option around, but his passing left a lot to be desired. He isn’t really expected to provide much in the way of crosses since he’s playing left back and doesn’t hit a good left-football ball, but even his right-footed passes were overhit.

Two things are clear about Williams. He is a tremendous athlete, but he just isn’t all that effective as an attacking player. He’s nothing more than a place-holder on the right wing and should probably start getting minutes in the middle because he simple looks useless on the flank.

Excluding Clint Dempsey, who floated between attacking midfielder and second forward, Beckerman was the best midfielder for the United States (and no, that wasn’t saying much). He kept the ball moving and made some good passes, but he was also beaten badly on multiple occasions and was thoroughly outworked by French counterpart Yann M’Vila.

Edu has this habit of floating in and out of games, going long stretches without really seeing much of the ball or being much of a factor. That’s not something you generally want from someone in your engine room. Someone must have said something because he stepped his game up in the second half, completing all but one pass and contributing more defensively.

He looks good whenever he’s on the ball, but he didn’t beat anybody or create any dangerous plays. The fact he didn’t get off a single shot or cross tells you just how quiet a game he had offensively. That said, he still did enough defensively to draw some praise from French manager Laurent Blanc.

Wasn’t as effective in his latest foray as a playmaker. He drew fouls, but never really got going, either as a passer or a creator of his own chances. It probably didn’t help him that the midfield behind him couldn’t find him and lost the possession battle to France badly.

Looked confident and strong, and gave Arsenal centerback Laurent Koscielny some problems. With the US midfield providing zero useful service, he had to try and create his own chances, and managed to shake loose for one good look he sent wide.

Had one encouraging run forward, latching onto a perfect long pass from Dempsey, but just didn’t have time to do much else.

Looked quick, but just never really got going in his 19-minute cameo. Another player who could use extended minutes to really measure where they stand form-wise.

Had some good moments, and some head-scratching ones as well. He needs a full game to show just how far he’s come since returning to the Schalke starting lineup.

Looked a bit lost in his first US national team appearance. It didn’t help he walked into a game France was dominating at the time.